Capt. Cautley on the Sevdlik Hills. 269 



mations composing the hills, consist of beds of boulders or shingle, either 

 loosely mixed or agglutinated by clay and carbonate of lime ; of sands of 

 various degrees of consistency ; of marl or clay conglomerate*; and of an in- 

 finite variety of clays ; the two latter being most extensively developed to the 

 westward of the Jumna. The strata dip from 15 to 35 degrees, generally 

 towards the north ; and the breadth of the inclined beds is from six to ei^ht 

 miles. 



The succession of the strata is irregular, with the exception of the shingle 

 in the more northern tracts, where it appears to overlay as well as to alternate 

 with the sandstones ; whereas, although the debris is in considerable abun- 

 dance in the water-courses, and on the flanks of the hills, I have never met 

 with these shingle-beds south of the most northern half of the hills. A similar 

 remark applies to the marl, but in a contrary direction, as it occurs only to 

 the south. The want of the marl in the northern sections may be accounted 

 for, by supposing it to have been either a local deposition or a general one, 

 which is not exposed throughout its entire range. 



Although I consider the whole of this tract of mountain as composed of one 

 formation, it may be of use to divide the portion between the Jumna and 

 Ganges, from that westward of the former river, as it appears to me, that there 

 is a marked difference (as before stated) in the shingle strata, as well as in 

 the position and number of the clay beds; although perhaps nothing further 

 than would be exhibited on any extended line of country, formed of debris 

 from different tracts of mountains. The causes which upheaved this district, 

 apparently acted more energetically in the contracted surface eastward of the 

 Jumna, than in that to the westward ; though, in the latter, the surface up- 

 heaved is much more extended. I shall therefore divide these notes into two 

 sections; the first consisting of the tract between the Jumna and Ganges; 

 the second, that westward of the Jumna. To commence, therefore, with 

 the range between the two rivers. 



Hills between the Jumna and Ganges. 



Shingle and Sandstone. — The beds of shingle are of enormous thickness, 

 and alternate with the sandstone. The former precisely resemble the shingle 

 in the beds of the existing great rivers of the country, and consist of boulders 



* I call this stratum clay-conglomerate, the beds being composed of fragments of an indurated 

 clay, cemented together by clay, sand, and carbonate of lime ; the clay itself effervescing strongly 

 with acids. The rock is, in general, exceedingly hard and tough, as is shown in those parts where 

 it is in contact with the stream of the rivers, which appear to have had little power upon it. 



2n3 



